Kure Beach mayor backs testing for oil, gas deposits

Published: Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 10, 2014 at 4:09 p.m.

Kure Beach Mayor Dean Lambeth last month signed a letter endorsing seismic testing for oil and gas off the North Carolina coast, becoming the first beach town official in the Cape Fear region to take a public stance on the matter.

“My job as mayor is to pursue every revenue stream open to the city,” Lambeth said. “In the next 10 to 15 years, most of the houses in Kure Beach are going to be full-time residential. We've got to start making plans to make sure that the water, sewer and police infrastructure can support that.”

The Obama administration has expressed interest in opening the Atlantic coast to seismic testing, a process that uses air guns to determine whether oil and gas deposits are located beneath the ocean floor. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a series of public hearings on the matter in Wilmington last year but has yet to release an environmental impact statement.

The mayor's letter of support for testing, signed in December, was penned by America's Energy Forum, a lobbying group backed by the American Petroleum Institute. Lambeth said the group approached him with the letter after he attended several of their seminars.

Opponents of seismic testing cite the potential effects the process could have on the host of marine animals that make their home off the North Carolina coast, while proponents have said that opening the coast to oil and gas exploration would be a positive economic development for beach town residents.

That was the key motivation for Lambeth, who said he thought that revenues from seismic testing leases could potentially help the town fund future beach nourishment projects.

“We have got to plan to help ourselves,” he said. “Most of this is on federal land. Hopefully, we'd have a Republican Senate and House by then, and we could take part of the money from the oil and gas leases and use it for beach renourishment.”

It's unclear how that financial agreement would work. According to environmentalists, it's likely that the lobbying group is singling out coastal leaders in the hopes of swaying elected officials at the state and federal levels.

“There are more than 50 members of Congress that wrote letters to the president saying they don't want Atlantic seismic testing, so I think some of this is in response to that,” said Matthew Huelsenbeck, a marine scientist with Oceana, an ocean conservation and advocacy nonprofit. “They're trying to get coastal mayors and governors to try to not discuss the marine life impacts. But it's unclear how they're presenting the benefits to people like the mayor of Kure Beach. There was discussion that this was going to replace funding for beach renourishment, and that's completely unclear.”

Thus far, Lambeth is the only area elected official to take a public stance on seismic testing. According to town spokesmen, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen and the Carolina Beach Town Council have no official position on the matter, and neither board has been approached by America's Energy Forum.

“They have not really taken a stand either way,” said Tim Owens, Wrightsville Beach town manager. “That'd have to be a board decision, if they approach us.”

Likewise, Kure Beach officials were divided on the matter, which Lambeth brought before the town council at its December meeting. The board will hear several informational presentations on seismic testing at its Jan. 27 meeting, but Lambeth said he's comfortable being the only elected official to publicly support it.

“Other beach town politicians are scared to sign a letter like that,” he said. “I don't care. As long as it's a way to make money for the town, I don't care. The beach renourishment money is a thing of the past, and we've got projects coming.”

<p>Kure Beach Mayor Dean Lambeth last month signed a letter endorsing seismic testing for oil and gas off the North Carolina coast, becoming the first beach town official in the Cape Fear region to take a public stance on the matter.</p><p>“My job as mayor is to pursue every revenue stream open to the city,” Lambeth said. “In the next 10 to 15 years, most of the houses in Kure Beach are going to be full-time residential. We've got to start making plans to make sure that the water, sewer and police infrastructure can support that.”</p><p>The Obama administration has expressed interest in opening the Atlantic coast to seismic testing, a process that uses air guns to determine whether oil and gas deposits are located beneath the ocean floor. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a series of public hearings on the matter in Wilmington last year but has yet to release an environmental impact statement. </p><p>The mayor's letter of support for testing, signed in December, was penned by America's Energy Forum, a lobbying group backed by the American Petroleum Institute. Lambeth said the group approached him with the letter after he attended several of their seminars.</p><p>Opponents of seismic testing cite the potential effects the process could have on the host of marine animals that make their home off the North Carolina coast, while proponents have said that opening the coast to oil and gas exploration would be a positive economic development for beach town residents.</p><p>That was the key motivation for Lambeth, who said he thought that revenues from seismic testing leases could potentially help the town fund future beach nourishment projects. </p><p>“We have got to plan to help ourselves,” he said. “Most of this is on federal land. Hopefully, we'd have a Republican Senate and House by then, and we could take part of the money from the oil and gas leases and use it for beach renourishment.”</p><p>It's unclear how that financial agreement would work. According to environmentalists, it's likely that the lobbying group is singling out coastal leaders in the hopes of swaying elected officials at the state and federal levels.</p><p>“There are more than 50 members of Congress that wrote letters to the president saying they don't want Atlantic seismic testing, so I think some of this is in response to that,” said Matthew Huelsenbeck, a marine scientist with Oceana, an ocean conservation and advocacy nonprofit. “They're trying to get coastal mayors and governors to try to not discuss the marine life impacts. But it's unclear how they're presenting the benefits to people like the mayor of Kure Beach. There was discussion that this was going to replace funding for beach renourishment, and that's completely unclear.”</p><p>Thus far, Lambeth is the only area elected official to take a public stance on seismic testing. According to town spokesmen, the Wrightsville Beach Board of Aldermen and the Carolina Beach Town Council have no official position on the matter, and neither board has been approached by America's Energy Forum. </p><p>“They have not really taken a stand either way,” said Tim Owens, Wrightsville Beach town manager. “That'd have to be a board decision, if they approach us.”</p><p>Likewise, Kure Beach officials were divided on the matter, which Lambeth brought before the town council at its December meeting. The board will hear several informational presentations on seismic testing at its Jan. 27 meeting, but Lambeth said he's comfortable being the only elected official to publicly support it.</p><p>“Other beach town politicians are scared to sign a letter like that,” he said. “I don't care. As long as it's a way to make money for the town, I don't care. The beach renourishment money is a thing of the past, and we've got projects coming.”</p><p><i></p><p>Kate Elizabeth Queram: 343-2217</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @kate_goes_bleu</i></p>